Construction block



- March 22, 1932. BURGESS 7 1,850,788

CONSTRUCTION BLOCK Filed July 12, 1929 Patented aMar..2 2;;-19321.

= j Anem- AIBuRens s;eor LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS, AssIenoa r wnNnE LL H. BURGESS, orrnxnverolv, massaonusnrrsa 7 ooivsr'nuorron ianooxe; a;

i Applicat ion filed fJuly (12, V

This invention relates to blocks used in"- wall construction, particularly in making conical-shaped walls, for catchbasins, cess-= po s'ge Q For reasons of economy in costs and saving in labor it been found'desirable to make use of blocks made ofi concrete or cement to build thev walls 'ofyci'rcular catch basins. in

havebeen used. Since it ispr'actical tomake concrete blocks larger than bricks there is the resultant advantage in" that a smaller 'num' ber of blocksare required to build a wall,

which means a savingin the, labor and mortar required to lay the blocks as compared with bricks, bothfof which are very expensive items. I 7 j It is frequently desirable to build catch basins of the shape of a truncated cone;-but in practice this has been found to be diificult and expensive for the reason that in this par-Q ticular construction the ordinary block'havinga flat bottom doesnot rest'evenly on the fiat topof the block below it. 'This'unevem' 'ness is due to the wall being. built with an inward pitch, and requires a considerable amount of extraymortar-and labor to insert it between the joints than if the blocks set evenly.

One of the objects of'my invention is jt-o' provide construction blocks at moderate ex pense of such a shape thatthe. bottoms of the blocks will rest evenly on the, top of the blocks immediately below it when building a. wallfor a catch basin or the like of the shape of a truncated cone. This proved to be very difficult-of solution because the top surfaces of the blocks used for the lower-or foundation course are made to slant downwardly-from the outside to the inside ofthe catch basin in order to make a conical shaped wall. Using a flat bottomed block was unsatisfactory because of theresulting unevenness previously referred to. Y The problem presented was not one that "could be figured out lnathematically; and Iiwas obliged to mould experimental blocks of many different shapesbefore I was successful in producing one which will rest evenly on the blockbelow place 'of' bricks and other materials lwhich j 1y in cross sectio well known:

192:9 seriai iveg 37?,711

it, so that only the minimum amount of tar is required to seal the joint. Q

With the above and other objects inview" which will'm'ore readily appearas-thenature" of the invention is better understood, the same more fully described claimed and illustrated. in the accompanying drawings. 1 a In thejdrawingsizfl' j I Fgure l'is a fragmentaryelevation of'ag, catch basin of a truncated conicalshape partn,"showing my construction} blocks as actually used." 4

Figure 2 is a'plan'view offo'n structionblocks'. n v, 1

Figure 3 is a side" elevationof my block showing it in the position-for practical use. a Figure 4 is an end elevation of my;block. Like numerals and letters -of reference indii cate corresponding-'parts-in each figure.

As illustrated myblockB which is usually r offmy coni ,made of concrete or cementyalthough any material suited for the purpose'ma'y be em ployed is sevela-sided;'v It consists of afront 12; a back13',two ends" 14, a top 16-, two bot-' tom portions 175 the two bottom portions converging outwardlyffrom the-opposite ends 14; to form a'ridge ltl extending widthwise'ofthe-bloclnat approximately the center. The

ends have cut-out portions 20 in the form: of a half circle for keying purposes 'whichare 7 In its preferredsh'ape the ends of-iny block- ,B are; made to slant outwardly from etop to bottom more-particularly as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings In other words the lower portion of my block is longer than theupper portion. -Tl1is,'of course, is to provide for the difference in diameter of the conical catch basinvwhi'ch gradually grows "smaller from bottom to top; Theseend's'are also made to consists 1n thenovel construction herelnafter g a catchbasin or cesspoolth'e sha e of a truncated cone as shown in Figure 1 o the drawings the shape of the blocks is of great importance. The blocks forming the lower course which I have designated as 24,

5 have their top surfaces slanted downwardly from the outside towards theinside, to cause.

' an inward pitch ipf thecatch basin; At first thought one might suppose an arcuate block having a flat bottom surface would evenly fit the topsurfa'ce of the blocks -forming said lower course 24. This is not-aifact howevery in actual practice, as said block fits ye V un-c evenly on the lower course block QL-an con siderable extra mortar, aswellas labor in in;v

serting the mortar, is required to fill'in the space-resulting; from this unevenness. After;- many tests I foundthat byslanting the bot toms of theblockputwardly from 'each'end toward the center, so; that the thickest point from top to bottomyas approximately inthe center of-the block at the :ri dge;19, that the,

- bottomsflofthe block would set evenly on the top surface of said lower; ;course blocks '24. I The same holds true as the blocks ,B are set one upon the otheruntil the -wall is, com

plated; by the spacial top;block S. As shown; in- Figure 1 of the drawings, in'a catch basin; of truncated cone shape the size of the blocks varies,sma]ler ones being used as; the wallis built upwardly, on account of the inside diameter becoming smaller.

This slantof eachof the two obliquely dis posed; faces or bottom portions 17 should be a substantially the same from each; end;-14 to- 5 ward the ridge19 althou-gh in working with suehcoarsematerial as is-usedin jthe construction of these blocks a;fine accuracy cannotib obtaine e While aspecifie embodiment of the invention, has been illustrated and described, the

invention isnot to be considered as limited tothis specificublock, asthe anglesflw illgbe; vairiedfiin accordance with variations in v the size of the block and the inwarrlh-opitfi .soft! the catch-basin;

W at aimisiz;

'1. A construction block having atop, ends, which-slope inwardly from back to front and outwardly from topto bottom, and a bottom:

5Q havinga ridge runningwidthwise at approx- I imately the center, dividing saidibottlom-into i two obliquely disposed portions.

2." In anarcuate construction block the top,-,

front, back:and endshavingflat surfaces, and i the bottom comprising two obliquely disposed y faces, each face slanting outwardly from its adjoining endtoward the middle, said ends slanting outwardly ifromfront to.back and top-t0 bottom; .t

3.; A construction h block comprising two sides, two ends, a top; and a bottom divided into two portions slanting 5' away from each;

4.- A construction block comprising a flat],

:top; a :fnont,a back two ends, slaiiting'slightl outward from top to bottomand back to ont, and a bottom, said bottom being divided by a widthwise ridge at approximately the center of said block into two portions, each of said portions slanting slightly upward fromtsagidridgetowardamend.

5, A. conptr a dn Hedi/pentagonal in its shape when viewed in side elevation, having a bott orn which is divided into two portions slantin upwandl y away fi om eaeh othera top an two'endev 6.4; construction block so shaped as to have a top, a bottom, a front, a back and two ends,,saicl ,bottom comprising two portions 'each" slanting outwardly from the adjoin 1g ndt w rds h middl toiformm ridge running widthwiseoi the block,

- 7 A const ruction ,block .having a-lop; a, bottom, a front, a back and twoends said bottom-Comprising two portions :pitchedoutwardly from said ends toward the 'middleto thereby ,form, a iridge at, approximately .the v center,'-.the plane of. the-,respective endsotfi the block: fromrgtop to; bottom ,being yat lap prox mately a right an leto theplaneof Y the respeotlve portions, 0 the bottom 5 adioin ing said'endsa 

